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To DIY or not to DIY

Before you break out the tools and get started on a DIY garden project, honestly gauge your skills versus the difficulty of what you're about to undertake. Here are some points to help you with the decision.

Savvy storage

There is always room for more storage, and what better way to pack away the hosepipe, wellies and half a bag of potting soil than in a neat and functional planter with storage underneath. It's easy to make and will be ready to use in no time.

Modern nesting box

This nesting box uses 30° angles for a modern twist on a classic.

Resilient Rose Garden

Like all other sectors in the garden industry, rose growers have been working towards a poison-free garden, and the moment seems to have arrived.

Oregano

Oregano is a zesty, savoury herb for slowcooked winter feasts, which means that you should get it going now for a good supply of leaves from June onward. Fortunately, it is frost hardy.

The Basics of Biophilic Design

As we continue to fill our homes with screens and gadgets, and our cities with concrete and paved roads, we begin to lose sight – literally – of the natural world around us. In an effort to combat this transformation, architects are adopting a concept known as biophilia – “an innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world.”

Slicing, Seedless, Pickling Cucumbers

Plant a cucumber seed in spring or summer, and in around 50 - 90 days you can begin harvesting off the vine.

Take Fuchsia Cuttings

Fuchsias are perfect for hanging baskets and pots, and add bright colour to a summer garden.

Growing Edibles Is Cool!

So, it seems that one of the positive spinoffs of Covid is that more ‘under 35s’ are growing their own edibles, and finding that it’s a great way to de-stress.

Time's Up!

Nothing reveals the dark side of yourself, your besties and your dearly beloveds better than a game of 30 Seconds!

What to Prune Now

With the long summer months slowly passing into the cooler and calm autumn days, it is time to take stock of your garden with your pruning tools at hand.

Birds of a Feather

Why every garden needs a bird feeder

Easter Basket

Turn your garden bits into an upcycled basket just in time for the children to enjoy hunting for Easter eggs.

Masters Of Shade

There are not many plants that can turn shade into a fairy landscape of dainty flowers in a season when most others are over it. Plectranthus will do just this!

Local Treasures: Gazania

Although South Africa has many treasured indigenous flowers, only one actually goes by the common name of ‘treasure flower’, and that is our beloved gazania.

Working And Playing With Nature

In an era where small gardens are the norm and our footprint has an impact on the planet, there is a lot to think about when designing a garden. The topics at the top of the list are water scarcity, food security and destruction of habitats – all big deals if we want to exist in harmony with our world.

The Malaise Of FOPB!

Living remotely from others leads to a bigger reliance on remotes and their confusing buttons. It is terrifying if you suffer from FOPB…

Autumn Splendour

Fiery shades of red and orange make for a bold autumn display.

The Allure Of Lavender!

This herbaceous plant, a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, is so famous that its common name is even used to describe a colour. Most of us will associate the term lavender with a gentle shade of light purple that symbolises elegance, refinement, serenity, purity and luxury – the latter two probably due to the Latin word ‘lavare’, which means to bathe and to wash. One can just imagine how the conquering and decadent Romans bathed in bunches of lavender sprigs and flowers, draped their newly washed togas over the bushes to permeate them with the fresh smell, and stacked dried stems of leaves and flowers in dark corners to repel plague-infested fleas!

A Haze Of Purple

The evergreen ribbon bush, a compact shrub with dull-green leaves and abundant spikes of two-lipped deep purple flowers with darker purple spots, is a selection derived from Hypoestes aristata and was developed at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical garden. It carries the apt varietal name of ‘Purple Haze’ and is widely cultivated in gardens all over the country.

Growing Winter Veggies Successfully

Winter feels like a Cinderella season in the veggie garden, but it really isn’t. Did you know that there are almost as many winter veggies as there are summer ones?

Fern And Bromeliad Fever

Specialising in indigenous and non-indigenous ferns and epiphytic ferns such as staghorns and imported bromeliads.

Indigenous Medicinal Herbs For Winter Ailments

How to use medicinal herbs Most herbalists caution that herbs are not a silver bullet. Herbs help to support and strengthen the body’s own systems and ability to heal itself, restore balance and ultimately health. Using fresh or dried leaves in a tea or tincture is usually the safest way to administer herbs.

3 Superfood Trees

Plant the following fruiting trees in your garden or even in large containers in a sunny courtyard and you will have very healthy and tasty produce at hand.

On Top Of The World In Paradise

This gem of an indigenous garden is worthy of a visit, if you love wildlife or gardens.

Luminous bokbaais

If you are a fan of vygies and similar plants, you can have swathes of these flat-growing succulents in flower every season if you plant different species, both indigenous and exotic, which are available as both annuals and perennials.

Time For Wild Hyacinths!

We told you in January that planting bulbs would be a great trend in 2021, so March is a good time to kick off your annual bulb planting quest with the indigenous wild hyacinths, also called Cape hyacinth, Cape cowslip and, more botanically correct, Lachenalia. Between South Africa and Namibia there are more than 120 natural species (some of which are sold in flower by specialist nurseries), but there are also many desirable hybrids bred by commercial bulb growers that are readily available in bulb form from the end of February.

What To Do Now March

Aeoniums are commonly called tree houseleeks, which is an indication that they form substantial side stems topped with their typical fleshy rosettes. They are also described as subtropical plants, and so require more water and less arid growing conditions than other succulents.

Top 10 Roses

There are over 150 rose species and thousands of hybrids, so compiling a Top Ten is something of a challenge. Here we have chosen some of our favourites, which we feel are essential for any good rose garden.

Veggies Are At The Frontline Of Health

Eating healthily to keep healthy and maintain a good level of immunity is as much of a strategy in this time of Covid-19 as wearing masks, social distancing and sanitising.